On the 20/05/09 at 4pm I collected my baby from nursery as he had been sick. At 4.30pm we got home and my baby was sick again and every 30 minutes thereon. At 9pm I rang NHS Direct and the nurse rang back. I told her the symptoms and that my baby had fallen 36 hours ago and hit his head on a coffee table and how he was sleepy and had a temperature and seemed lifeless. I was told to contact the emergency doctor who came out at 10.40pm and rang for an ambulance to take my baby to A&E to get checked out. The ambulance came at 1.30am and we got to the hospital at 2.10am. Assessment took place at 2.45am and we were put on a ward at 4.00am. My baby was diagnosed with no head injury but a viral infection in the stomach. We had to give him 5ml fluid every 5 minutes and get a water sample. The baby seemed to come round with fluids as he had been dehydrated. At 7.30am the doctor let us come home and he wasn’t sick anymore. It took 7-10 days for him to get back to his usual self. I’m a single mum with an older disabled child and this was a scary experience, but a happy ending. The doctors were very good at the hospital. Thank you.

Responses

I am happy that the out-of-hours doctor was able to see your baby quickly. It's often worrying when small children become ill so quickly, but it's good to know that he got better after a short admission.

It is reassuring that when we need it, we have expertise in the Children's Hospital on our doorstep in Sheffield.